


Stay Gold

by applekenma



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Anxiety Attacks, Depression, Fluff, Kid Fic, Kozume Kenma is Bad at Feelings, Kuroo Tetsurou is a Good Friend, M/M, Past Domestic Violence, Past Relationship(s), Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Single Parents, Slow Burn, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-05
Updated: 2020-10-05
Packaged: 2021-03-07 17:54:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,160
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26831719
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/applekenma/pseuds/applekenma
Summary: Kenma is a single father who's had a hard past with his former lover, but he has a daughter and he has to stay strong for her. When Kenma meets a crazy bed-haired man, he thinks that maybe,maybe, he could love again.
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji & Kozume Kenma, Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou, Kozume Kenma/Kuroo Tetsurou, Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Comments: 14
Kudos: 51





	Stay Gold

**Author's Note:**

> I came up with this idea just days ago, but I really liked the concept of my idea. As you probably see in the tags, there are some triggers, so if you are uncomfortable with any of those tags, I'll put in the author's notes which parts that may be triggering, so if you want to skip them, you can. Also, I'm not really that experienced with toddlers or daycares, so please tell me if some info is wrong! It'll really help! Also, this chapter isn't beta-read because I'm too impatient and wanted to post the first chapter immediately, but I looked over grammar mistakes and stuff, so it should be okay. The rest of the chapters will be thoroughly beta-read, so don't worry! *sweats*  
> This fic is going to be pretty longish and there will be some sad parts, but there will be a bunch of fluff and supportive friends in this fic!  
> Comments, constructive criticism, and feedback are highly appreciated! I love seeing comments on my stories, they make me really, really happy!  
> Anyways enough with my rambling, let's get on to the story!  
> Also (sorry again), are the ages of all the characters:  
> Kenma- 24  
> Minori- 4  
> Kuroo- 25  
> Katsumi- 4  
> Akaashi- 24  
> Bokuto (He kind of shows up later)- 25

Kenma groaned as his phone alarm beeped loudly in his ears. He rolled his to the side and snatched his phone so he could turn off the annoying alarm. 08:30. Kenma put the alarm for a twenty-minute snooze, hoping he would at least get twenty minutes more of sleep. Kenma sighed and put one of his arms over his eyes, hoping to fall back to sleep. Kenma was about to slip back into unconsciousness before he heard the pitter-patter of tiny feet across the hardwood floors and his door slowly creaked open. 

Kenma lips immediately cracked into a smile upon seeing his four years old daughter, Minori, shyly skitter across the room and try climb onto his bed. Kenma sat up and suppressed the urge to laugh as he watched his daughter struggle to get on his bed, considering she has short legs, and his daughter pouted at her father.

“Daddy!” 

Kenma chuckled and helped her onto his bed, “Sorry, Love.” Kenma kissed Minori’s head apologetically, making her giggle cutely.

“How was your night?” Kenma asked as he carded his fingers through his daughter’s straight black hair. It wasn’t really long, mid-length actually, which Kenma was secretly grateful for because it would be a hassle if his daughter had crazy-long hair.

“Good,” Minori answered as she leaned her back against her father’s chest. 

“You know what day it is, right?” Kenma hesitantly asked.

Minori nodded her head with a sigh, making Kenma raise an eyebrow, “Yes, Daddy.”

“It’ll be okay, Minori,” Kenma rubbed her shoulders in reassurance. “I made an apple pie yesterday while you were asleep for your first day of school.” Kenma smiled upon seeing Minori’s eyes gleam with excitement.

“Yay, apple pie! Thank you, Daddy! I love you!” Minori exclaimed happily and turned to give her father a big hug. Kenma couldn’t help the happy smiled that took over his face at his daughter’s words.

_I love you!_

Those words kept replaying in his head like a broken record until Minori patted his cheek. “Daddy, what’s wrong?” The black-haired girl asked worryingly. Did she do something wrong?

Kenma finally snapped out of it and shook his head, squeezing his daughter tight, he said, “Nothing’s wrong, Baby. I love you too.”

Minori laughed, “I know, Daddy!” and squeezed Minori squeezed him back just as tight.

* * *

“Are you excited for school, Minori?” Kenma asked as he slid a plate of apple pie towards his daughter, accompanied by an apple juice box, he took a seat next to her.

“Um...I don’t know,” Minori said truthfully and immediately dug in her apple pie, making Kenma fondly roll his eyes. 

“Mmm, it sweet!” Minori sighed happily. Kenma posed his left elbow on the counter and perched his chin on top of his palm, watching his daughter eat his apple pie with a soft smile.

He really loved his daughter. After everything that had happened in the past, Kenma almost gave up on trying to find happiness again, but he soon realized that his happiness was right before his eyes. Minori. Her very presence just made Kenma’s day five times better. He’s never felt truly loved by someone until Minori finally said ‘I love you, Daddy.”, making his heart swell with a love he’s never felt before.

Kenma continued to ponder about his daughter before Minori slapped his cheeks.

“Daddy?”

Kenma blinked and looked down at the black-haired girl, “Sorry, ‘Nori, I guess I was just daydreaming.” Minori raised an eyebrow, not knowing what her father meant, but continued to gobble down her apple pie. 

As soon as Minori finished her breakfast, Kenma placed her plate in the sink, not bothering to eat his own breakfast because they only had forty-five minutes left until she needed to go to school. He wanted to show a good impression, considering it’s Minori’s first day of kindergarten. 

“Okay, time to take a bath and get ready for school,” Kenma said after he had finished washing his hands. Minori nodded her head slowly and let her father pick her up so she could take her bath.

Once Kenma stripped his daughter off of her clothes and placed her in the bathtub, Minori looked at her father and shyly asked, “Is school scary?”

Kenma’s eyes widened at the random question but smiled softly, “It can be at first, but once you get used to it, it can be fun. You’ll meet a lot of new people at school and make new friends.” Minori murmured a simple ‘oh’ and closed her eyes to prevent any soap from getting in here eyes as Kenma washed her dark locks.

Kenma had taken his shower early in the morning, so he didn’t have to waste any more time in getting Minori ready. He brushed her hair neatly into pigtails and picked out a bright red corduroy dress over a white long-sleeved shirt for her first day of school. Minori had insisted that she should wear her favorite kitten hair clip, which Kenma obviously agreed to. How could he say no to that cute pout?

“Okay…” Kenma mumbled as he put on Minori’s white ruffled socks and black Mary Janes on. He had previously packed Minori’s school supplies in her backpack last night so he wouldn’t forget anything. Minori sat on her bed, humming the song Kenma sang to her sometimes when she’s sad.

“Okay, Baby, are you ready?” Kenma turned around, and golden eyes, identical to his, met his gaze.

“Mhm,” Minori mumbled and got her bed but then she remembered something, “Wait, Daddy, what about Aka?!” How could Minori forget to call her favorite Uncle in the world, Aka?! Minori had given Akaashi the nickname ‘Aka’ when she was younger, her clumsy tongue unable to wrap itself around the name Akaashi.  
“Oh, yeah, sorry ‘Nori, I forgot,” Kenma sat down next to his daughter and took out his phone from his pocket. Minori crawled onto Kenma’s lap, looking expectantly at the phone. Kenma and Minori call Akaashi every day in the morning to check in on each other. Akaashi had been with Minori ever since she was born and Kenma couldn’t even think about where he would be right now without his best friend by his side. He owes him so much, but Akaashi insisted that he didn’t have to do anything because that’s what friends were for. Kenma had made fun of him for saying something so cliche, but Kenma was genuinely forever grateful for Akaashi’s help with Minori. 

“Aka!” Minori beamed upon seeing Akaashi’s face pop up on Kenma’s phone screen. 

“Good morning, ‘Nori,” Akaashi greeted with a smile and Kenma could practically feel Minori vibrating in excitement.

“Aka, I’m going to school!” Minori said with pride and Akaashi nodded his head with a chuckle.

“I see that. You look very pretty.”

A small blush adorned Minori’s cheeks as she smiled shyly, “Thank you, Aka…”

Akaashi laughed once more before he turned his attention to Kenma, “Hey, Kenma. How’s everything going?”

Kenma gave him a tiny smile, “Mm, everything’s good, I guess. Not the best, but good.”

Akaashi hummed in understanding, “I’m glad. I’m very proud of you, Kenma.”

Kenma rolled his eyes playfully, “You sound like my mom.”

Akaashi pouted, making Minori giggle, “See how mean Kenma is, ‘Nori?”

“Daddy is no meanie!” Minori said matter of factly, earning herself a kiss on the head from Kenma.

“Okay, Kenma isn’t a meanie,” Akaashi mocked but smiled along with the two. “Anyways, I think you guys have to go soon, you only have about twenty minutes left to get to school?”

“Oh,” Kenma mumbled and gave Akaashi an apologetic glance, the latter just waving it off, understanding that Kenma has been through a lot and he could lose track of the time easily. “Sorry we couldn’t talk for any longer. I would’ve come to see Minori off to her first day of school, but of course, I have a bunch of papers I need to edit.” Akaashi sighed.

Kenma nodded in understanding, “It’s fine, I know your job can be stressful at times. Now, say bye Aka.” Kenma and Minori waved at the camera, Akaashi waving back and Kenma hung up the video call.

Kenma sighed deeply, “Ready to go, ‘Nori?”

“Yes, Daddy.”

Kenma frowned upon seeing the unhappy expression on his daughters face, “Minori, you can stay with me and not go to school-”

“No,” Minori shook her head, “It’s okay.”

“Okay, Love, whatever you want,” Kenma exhaled heavily and picked his daughter up, gathered her belongings, walked out of her room, and out the front door into the outside world.

(Kenma had forgotten to get changed himself and left the house with his cat pajama’s still on until Minori mentioned it when they were almost at school.)

* * *

The drive to the school was a comfortable one. Minori babbling to her father about the different kinds of things she’d do at school and if she’d make new friends. Kenma reassured her again that it’ll be fine, and she’d be okay. 

Once they got to the school, Kenma parked and unbuckled his daughter from her booster seat, carrying Minori all the way to the classroom. He checked the papers in his hand to check what classroom she was in, and his eyes widened slightly at the name.

_Sugawara Koushi._

Suga was a good friend of Kenma’s. They had met in college, even had a few classes together. They usually studied together (More like Suga tutoring Kenma because Kenma never paid attention) and they enjoyed each other’s company. Suga had never told Kenma that he worked at a school, but Kenma smiled a bit in relief, knowing that Suga is a kind person and that his daughter would be in good hands.

“Kenma?” Suga had a surprised expression on his face once he saw his old college friend at his classroom door. 

Kenma nodded and blushed in mild embarrassment because no one would ever think Kenma would have a child he would have to bring to school, “Hey, Suga-san. I didn’t know you started to work here.”

Suga smiled and beamed at the little girl in Kenma’s arms, who was hiding her face in the crook of Kenma’s neck, “It’s good to see you again, Kenma! It looks like your daughter’s in my classroom this year, right?”

“Yes, she is. I didn’t even realize she was your teacher until I checked about a second ago,” Kenma admitted, making Suga chuckle.

“Typical Kenma.”

Kenma glared, but you could tell it held no real heat to it, “Shush.” He would’ve said shut up instead, but he needed to show a good example to his daughter.

Kenma tapped his daughter’s shoulder, making the little girl look up at him. He gestured for her to look at Suga, “Say hello to your new teacher, Minori.”

The girl squirmed in Kenma’s hold and hid her face against the crook of Kenma’s neck again. Kenma sighed and sent an apologetic glance towards Suga, who waved it off.

“I understand that she’s scared on her first day, but I can reassure you that it will be fun.”

Kenma nodded and turned back to his daughter, “Did you hear that, ‘Nori? It’ll be okay, and I’ll only be gone for a few hours.”

Minori shook her head, “Daddy, stay with me at school.” Oh, as much as Kenma wanted to stay with Minori, protector her from all the bullies, making sure no one would ever touch his daughter, and making sure that contagious smile never disappeared from Minori’s face. But, she had to grow up. They both did.

It hurt to see Minori sad like this, but Kenma had to reassure his daughter, so he exhaled before he asked, “How about this? After school, we can visit Aka and play together?”

Minori abruptly raised her head from Kenma’s neck, almost hitting Kenma’s chin in the process, and looked into his eyes, “Aka…?” 

Kenma wiped Minori’s tears from her cheeks and nodded, “Yes, Aka.” 

Kenma internally sighed in relief upon seeing his daughter uplift her sad mood into a hopeful one.

Minori sniffed a couple more times before finally agreeing, “Okay, Daddy…” 

“Good, now, let’s introduce yourself to Suga-sensei, okay?” Kenma said and Minori shyly turned to look at the silver-haired male.

“Intro..duce?” Minori furrowed her eyebrows, not knowing what that word meant.

“Tell him your name, Minori,” Kenma elaborated and Minori nodded, now understanding what her father meant. She turned back to the silver-haired man, who was waiting patiently with a grin.

“I...I’m Kozume…?” Minori turned to her father for clarification and when Kenma nodded she continued, “I’m Kozume Minori.”

“Hello, Kozume-chan! I’m going to be your teacher this year, Suga-sensei! This year is going to be lots of fun!” Suga introduced himself cheerfully, making Minori less tense.  
“Okay…” Minori said with a small smile. 

“Before you leave, you need to fill out a few papers.” Suga his attention to the father, who nodded and followed Suga, who led them inside the classroom where other parents were signing a bunch of papers while the kids played with other children.

Kenma had asked Minori if she wanted to play with the other kids while he filled out the papers, but Minori had insisted that she should stay with him, so Kenma agreed. 

Kenma looked around the classroom to find a chair to sit in and tensed upon seeing there were only tiny tables that were obviously meant for kids, not twenty-four-year-old men. Kenma desperately looked around the classroom some more and thanked the gods that there was one last ‘Adult Sized’ desk. He was about to head towards the desk before a tall man with black hair came in with his daughter and stole the spot.

 _Really?_ Kenma had to suppress the urge to groan out loud.

The tan-skinned man looked up at Kenma and raised an eyebrow, “Um, did I take your spot?”

“Yes, you did,” Kenma said a little colder than intended, considering the thought of how broken his back would feel if he had to sit in those tiny chairs.

The man rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably, “You can have it back if you want. I’ll just go sit in those tiny chairs.” Kenma saw the way Kuroo’s eyes furrowed when he glanced at the chairs.

“No, you can take it, it’s fine,” Kenma said, not really wanting to talk to anyone right now. He just wanted to sign those papers already.

“Are you sure?” Kenma couldn’t help but roll his eyes.

“Yes, I’m sure.”

The man looked hesitant before he shrugged and turned his attention back to his squirming daughter.

Kenma sighed as he gently squeezed Minori’s hand and they made their way towards a table. Kenma took one last look at the chair and realized that if he sat on it, it’ll probably break, so he just sat on the floor while Minori sat next to him on the chair.

Suga quickly came back to the Kozume’s and handed Kenma the papers he needed to sign, “Sorry, it took a bit, but you just need to fill out a few pages.” Suga handed Kenma the papers and a pen so he could sign.

“Thanks,” Kenma mumbled as he filled out the papers. The first pages were about emergencies. Luckily, Minori had been blessed without any illnesses or allergies, so Kenma marked that off. He had also made sure to put Akaashi as their emergency contact. The next few pages were more in-depth than the last ones and asked about his daughter’s hobbies and interests. It asked normal questions like, what’s their favorite color? What are their hobbies? What’s their favorite food? 

Kenma smiled in amusement as he wrote down all of his daughter’s favorite things. It took less than three seconds to write down what Minori’s favorite food was. Minori was talking with her plush cat, Chi, while Kenma filled out the forms, so she was occupied with something while Kenma scribbled down information on the papers.

He finally signed his signature when Suga clapped to get everyone’s attention, “Okay, everyone! Class is about to start soon, so you need to say goodbye!” Immediately, the classroom started to fill up with whines and cries, though, some kids were excited to see their parents leave, much to their dismay.

Minori’s lip wobbled as he stared at her father, “D-Daddy…” she whimpered as tears started to pool in her beautiful eyes.

Kenma had to bite the inside of his cheek to prevent any tears from spilling out of his own and he looked at Minori straight in the eye, “It’s going to be okay, Minori. I’ll come back in a few hours and then we’ll go to Aka’s and play, okay?”

“I-...Daddy!” Minori burst into tears and she jumped into Kenma’s arms. Kenma frowned deeply. His little girl was really going to Kindergarten? It felt like just yesterday Kenma had to change dirty diapers, teaching her how to walk, teaching her her first words, and many, many other things. Kenma really didn’t want this day to come but it had to be done. They had to grow up.

“I’ll miss you, Minori, So much…” the male murmured into her hair. Minori vigorously rubbed her face against Kenma’s hoodie and she sniffed once more before giving Kenma a _big_ hug.

“Me too…”

Kenma squeezed his daughter and kissed her on the cheek as he hesitantly got up from the ground. He couldn’t help but kiss her a few more times upon seeing the distressed expression start to grow on his daughter’s face. 

“I’ll be back before you know it. Be a good girl for me and have fun, okay?” Kenma asked his daughter as he patted her head gently. Minori nodded obediently and Kenma sighed heavily as he went to leave the classroom. He realized that he was the last parent in the classroom and blushed in embarrassment, quickly leaving after Suga shot him an amused smirk.

Once Kenma got into the car, he finally let all of his tears fall down his face. Reality came crashing down like an avalanche. He won’t see his daughter for _six fucking hours_. What if she’s already bawling in the classroom? What if she got hurt? What if she got bullied? 

Panic began to rise like bile. He realized if he didn’t stop now, things could get worse. He closed his eyes and tried to focus on breathing, just like his therapist had told him. 

Breathe in for a count of four, hold for a second, and then breathe out for a count of four.

It had taken a while for Kenma to calm down, but he eventually did calm down enough to the point where he could drive safely. He pressed the palms of his hands against his eyes and stared at himself through the rim-mirror. He looked like complete shit and if Akaashi had seen him like this, he knew he would chide him for hours. He hurried up to get back to his house so he could huddle up in blankets and play video games all day to keep his mind off of Minori, but of course, that didn’t stop him from worrying about her every second of the day.

* * *

Kenma had gotten to Minori’s school twenty-minutes earlier than intended and waited for the bell to ring that signaled for the end of the school day. The second he heard that bell ring, he hurried to the classroom door to knock. Suga swung the door upon and chuckled upon seeing the younger male expectantly waiting for his daughter.

“Eager, aren’t ya?” He teased. Kenma just rolled his eyes and walked into the classroom. He froze upon seeing his daughter _playing_ , with another little girl who’s hair was adorned with a massive black bow on top.

 _So, she already has a new friend?_ Kenma didn’t know if he should be grateful or jealous, but he decided on the first option. 

“Hey, ‘Nori,” Kenma popped up behind his daughter and Minori abruptly turned her head to look at her father with bright eyes.

“Daddy!” She flew into her arms and Kenma didn’t waste any time in embracing his daughter. Oh, how much he missed his daughter today. He couldn’t even focus on doing his game prototype, his mind filled up with only thoughts of Minori. 

Black bow-chan just stared at the two with a small smile on her face.

“I missed you,” Kenma kissed Minori’s cheek, making her giggle.

“Me too!”

Kenma glanced at the Black bow-chan, who was still staring at them with a smile on her face. “And...what’s your name?” Kenma asked slowly, not really comfortable with talking to kids except for his own.

“I’m Kuroo Katsumi!” Katsumi exclaimed in pride. Kenma nodded with a hum and Minori rapidly tapped his shoulder, making the male raise an eyebrow.

“She’s my new friend! She loves cats like me and she has a _huge_ bow on her hair!” Minori babbled about her new friend while Katsumi agreed to every statement she said. Kenma’s eyes widened a little at the interactions. Minori was never this social with anyone before. Well, maybe because they rarely talk to anyone anyway.

Kenma was about to gather all of Minori’s belongings before a tall man showed up next too him. Kenma cautiously turned around and immediately realized who he was: Chair thief-san.  
Chair-theif-san coughed and raised any eyebrow at Kenma, making the latter shift uncomfortably under his gaze. Meanwhile, Katsumi shot up like a rocket towards her father, wrapping her arms and legs around his torso.

“DADDY!!”

“Woah, ‘Sumi, I missed you too, but you almost killed me!” Kuroo laughed and hugged his daughter back, planting a kiss on her head. Kenma would’ve thought it was sweet if Chair thief hadn’t stolen the desk that morning.

“Daddy, I have a new friend!” Katsumi pointed to the smaller girl who stared at them with wide eyes, probably surprised by the loudness of their voices.

“Really?” Kuroo smirked at Kenma, which Kenma thought looked obnoxiously annoying. 

“Yeah!” Minori jumped in on their conversation, surprising Kenma once again.

_How much did she change in a few hours?!_

“We had so much fun,” Minori smiled at the memory of her and Katsumi playing happily with Chi, Minori’s favorite plush in the world, and Mimi, Katsumi’s black plush cat that she insisted was real.

“That’s nice,” thief smiled at the girls and smiled at Kenma as well. Kenma tried to give the man a small smile, but it probably looked more like a grimace.

“So, what’s your name?” Kuroo asked the anxious male.

“Kozume...Kenma,” Kenma looked up at the man through his eyelashes. Now that he saw the man more close up, he could see how lean and muscular he was. He had broad shoulders, slightly tanned skin, and narrowed hazel colored eyes. But what stood out to Kenma the most was his _hair_. His black hair messy and stuck upwards, accompanied by a large fringe partially covering the right side of his eye.

He almost felt bad for the man. _Almost._ He still remembers what the man did this morning.

“Hey, Kozume-kun. I’m Kuroo Tetsurou!” Kuroo went to shake Kenma’s hand, but on reflex, Kenma abruptly jerked back, making Kuroo frown slightly, but he retreated his hand.

“You can call me Kenma...I don’t really like using formalities…” The younger male murmured.

Kuroo nodded in understanding, “Kenma...Kenma…” Kuroo repeated, testing the first name on his tongue, making Kenma look at him weirdly.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m just testing out your name, that’s all. It’s not often you get to call someone by their first name,” Kuroo said as he adjusted Katsumi on his hip.

Kenma blushed slightly and nodded to the older man, “Um, bye,” Kenma turned around quickly, signing out and hurryingly walked out of the classroom door, internally screaming.

Um, bye?! What the hell was he thinking? Now Kuroo must think he’s a weird twenty-four-year-old man who doesn’t know how to converse with someone (Which Kenma hated to admit, was true). 

“Wait, Daddy, I need to say bye-bye to Katsu!” Minori pointed back to the classroom, and Kenma couldn’t say no to his daughter, so he reluctantly turned back and opened the door to see Kuroo and Katsumi staring right at them.

“Wow, so you decided to come back,” Kuroo teased, earning him a slight scowl from the younger male.

“Minori just wanted to say goodbye to Katsumi…”

“BYEEE, ‘NORI!!” Katsumi exclaimed at the top of her lungs and hugged her new friend. Minori winced slightly but eventually returned the hug.

“Bye, Kuroo,” Kenma said without looking at the man and once again turned back to the classroom door.

“Bye, Kenma, hope to see you again!” Kuroo said in an obnoxious voice, making Kenma roll his eyes for the nth time.

“Sure,” he mumbled, not bracing himself for how many again’s would transpire between them.

**Author's Note:**

> Is Kenma a little too OOC for you guys?  
> I hope you enjoyed it anyway and I can't wait for you guys to read more!  
> As always, tell me what you think about this chapter, it really makes me happy and it motivates me a lot! :)  
> Edit: If you read this before this edit, you probably noticed that I wrote Kenma as a 'her' instead of a 'he', so sorry about that! It's all fixed now ^^;  
> Another edit: Due to school, the next chapter will be postponed, but I promise it'll come out soon!


End file.
